Short'nin Bread Recipe

Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies - Early American Soul Food Treats

Jan 7, 2008 Karen Hancock

Short'nin Bread is the Subject of a Beloved Children's Folk Song, and is Also a Quick, Easy, and Delicious Treat.

Short’nin bread, is a treat that the early American cooks working on the plantations in the South could whip up easily with ingredients that were readily available: butter, brown sugar, and flour. Short’nin Bread is actually shortbread, which is a type of cookie that has been popular for hundreds of years in the British Isles. The difference is that in the early South, the shortbread was made with brown sugar. The brown sugar gives the short’nin bread a distinctive and wonderful flavor.

This delicious treat is the subject of the children’s folk song, Short’nin Bread. It is unknown who wrote the lyrics, but it is widely believed that the song originated among the slaves working on the plantations in the South in the early 1800’s. The actual words to the song vary (and have been changed over the years to be more politically correct), as well as the order of the verses. However, the gist of the song is that the doctor orders Short’nin Bread to be given to two sick children, and after eating the Shortn'in Bread, the kids are healed!

This recipe for Shortn'in Bread, which was adapted from a recipe featured in Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook (Signet 1969), is made easily because the dough is simply patted down on a jellyroll pan, then cut into squares while it is hot.

One of the great things about Short'nin Bread is that it needs no embellishment; it is light, buttery, delicious, and addicting just the way it is.

Short'nin Bread

2 cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In the large bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Mix the flour and salt; turn the mixer down to slow speed and it to the creamed butter mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined jellyroll pan (approximately 11" x 17") and press until it is smooth and even. If you have a small rolling pin, flour it lightly and use it to roll the dough evenly. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, score the dough into squares, eight on the long side of the pan by six on the shorter side. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately use the sharp knife to cut through the score marks into squares. Cool thoroughly before serving. Makes 48 squares.
Store the baked shortbread in an airtight container; it will keep for several weeks. The shortn'in bread may also be wrapped tightly and frozen for several months.

Oh, and in case you’re trying to remember the words to the song so you can sing it while you’re serving your freshly baked short’nin bread, you can find them at this link: Short'nin Bread Lyrics

The copyright of the article Short'nin Bread Recipe in Southern Cuisine is owned by Karen Hancock. Permission to republish Short'nin Bread Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Short'nin Bread